I5<S NATIVES OF AFRICA IN THE l6Tn CENTURV. 



way in which the ^Ipfumo people robbed Manuel de Souza and 

 his wife is most disgusting. But we must not forget that he 

 was coming as a friend of Inhaca, the hereditary foe of Mpf umo, 

 and that he had substantially helped that chief in a battle with 

 another chief. Moreover, the party was proceeding with arms, 

 fighting and sojiietimes killing the Natives, and the behaviour 

 of Souza himself had been very imprudent. It seems to us very 

 hard and oft'ensive that these black people dared to deprive a 

 Portuguese lady like Dona Laura of all her clothing; but 

 remember that, on the question of modesty, they had not the 

 slightest idea of the offence they were committing, as a little 

 bit of clothing is quite sufficient in their opinion to answer all 

 the exigencies of decency. In other cases, the hostility shown 

 was the direct outcome of an attack on the part of the poor 

 wrecked people who did not know how to liehave. I recall only 

 the crime of anthroijophagy committed by some of the San 

 Thome's party. On the other hand, one cannot help admiring" 

 the kindness shown by the Inhaca chief to the four caravans ; 

 their jiresence was a heavy burden for his people who had such 

 scanty resources. !Ie did not forget to work for his own 

 interests and taxed them to the utmost ; however, he showed 

 himself a friend in need. As regards Xuno A'elho of the 

 San Alberto, he had almost no difficulty with all the tribes 

 through \vhich he passed, and this seems to be owing to the 

 ]jerfect atttitude he adopted towards the Natives ; he always was 

 just and good, preventing his people from robbing the least 

 object, himself adorning the women and the children with the 

 bits of coral or of crystal he paid for his purchases, treating 

 black people as men. In the meantime, he was very firm and 

 did not lose any occasion of asserting his prestige. So. when 

 he killed a cow, he always did so by shooting it with a gun. and 

 he called the Natives to witn.ess the wonderful efifect of his 

 arms. They sometimes ran away, but he took them by the arm 

 and reassured them. He would have made a perfect Native 

 Commissioner I 



The Portuguese saw very little of the rcUiiion of the 

 Natives. Lavanha says : 



They are very wild (briitos) and du not adore anything, so the}' 

 received our holy Christian law with great easiness. They helieve that 

 Heaven is another world similar to the world we live in, inhahited hy 

 other people who hy runninti aI)()Ut cause the thunderstorms and Iiy making- 

 water cause the rain. 



This testimony is very short indeed, and one could hardly 

 acce]it it as a tru.stworthy resume of the subject. But when 

 reading carefully our documents, we find traces of the two great 

 sets of religious institutions, which a deeper study reveals 

 ?mongst these tribes, -de, the ancestor worship and the idea of 

 Heaven. 



The aiicesk:r -ceorshil^. The pilot of the San Alberto directly 

 after the wreck saw the chief Luspance going with another 



